Plans are moving forward on Phase-3 of the Cold Lake Energy Centre.
During their meeting on Sept. 8, Cold Lake City Councilors were presented with a conceptual design of what the next phase of the multi-million dollar facility would look like. With close to 132,500 sq. ft. of new build, the Phase-3 project being proposed would be larger than the current Energy Centre facility.
“It's a pretty exciting project; it follows our vision of putting recreation first,” said Mayor Craig Copeland. “Our hope is to get in the ground next year around this time and be already doing construction on whatever (components of the phase) we can afford.”
Included in Phase-3 is a new secondary arena with five dressing rooms, a raised bleacher area and two warm viewing areas – one at ice level and one in a proposed second-floor lounge servicing both arenas, store front office space for not-for-profit organizations, a double running track, and the possibility for one or two new field houses and the existing field house would be repurposed into a dedicated gymnastics space and dance space.
The design incorporates a reconfiguration of the front entrance interior where currently the Energy Centre, Portage Collage and Cold Lake High School all share the space. Council will also have the option to choose between a leisure ice surface and a 360-degree climbing wall, though the recommendation is to go with the climbing wall.
“I think with the ambiance of the Energy Centre, we do have a couple of large ice surfaces there and I think it's just making sure the public skate programming works for the community, I think the ice component is covered. Therefore, the value of having a different amenity in the Energy Centre seemed to outweigh just having that additional smaller ice,” explained CAO Kevin Nagoya.
The outdoor artificial turf sports field is also included in the next phase, however the design on the field is still ongoing.
Phase-3 of the Cold Lake Energy Centre currently has $29.4 million of capital revenue allocated to the project. The base tender for just the new arena and redoing the entrance is expected at $23 million. There are also three other options Council can consider after the tenders are in: option one is the base tender plus the gymnastics/dance area and one field house for a total of $40 million; option two is the base tender plus option one and a second field house coming in at $50 million; option three is the addition of a double track on the twin field house, which will add around $2-$3 million for just the track.
BR2 Architecture has been working with city administration on the design. Over the next four to six months they will be completing a detailed design of Phase-3 before moving into tendering. Council voted to move forward with the Design/Bid/Build process, which Nagoya believes will be able to save the City some money.
“In our analysis right now with how the market is flowing it appears we are on a lull so to speak. I think it's an opportunity to get some really good bids on the Energy Centre. With the construction management method we don't have the final values until the very end, we would probably end up being on an upswing. I think that with prices now, (Design/Bid/Build) is going to be the best value and the best price for the City.”
Of course, money was a main concern for councilors. With the NDPs now in power, whether or not the City of Cold Lake will receive all of the I.D. 349 funds is uncertain.
“I'm concerned about the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range money. If, for some reason, that money is not transitioned to Cold Lake, this would be a huge burden on tax payers,” said Coun. Darrell MacDonald.
Copeland reassured that they would not make any financial commitments unless they were sure they could afford it.
“We know it will take two or three years to build out. Council won't be making any financial commitments without knowing the Air Weapons range money is coming in.”
Since construction of Phase-3 is on the horizon, council had the opportunity to see what Imperial Park and the Energy Centre possibly will look like once the master plan is complete. The proposed master plan would also see the creation of an aquatics centre, a new City Hall, library and cultural centre.
With all of the new build, concerns were raised about just how much green-space will be taken up for the additional parking spaces needed and the location of the sports field.
“I don't want to lose the feel of Imperial Park. In our initial master plan we had plans for amphitheatres, trails, camping…I need to know how much area we're taking up,” said Coun. Kelvin Plain. “I think the building is great, but I don't want to loose that feel of a park in amongst a parking lot.”
Council also shared their thoughts on the interior, stating that there are some additions they'd like to see planned.
“I think we should make sure there's the ability to have a pro-shop, an equipment shop. I can see the facility benefiting from that, but it would need to be planned because of the hook ups for the commercial equipment,” said Coun. Bob Buckle.
Copeland added that he believes there still are not enough washrooms in the facility.
The addition of a second elevator or possibly an escalator was also debated by councilors. They felt that if there's going to be so many amenities on the second floor, such as a lounge, there is a need to make it more accessible to those with limited mobility and the elderly.
Council approved administration to go ahead with working on a more detailed design of the Energy Centre Phase-3. Once the architectural design is complete it will be put out for companies to bid on, at that point council will decide how much they're going to spend and which areas they're going to complete in this phase. Construction on Phase-3 is expected to start in spring 2016.
The issue of the placement of the artificial turf sports field will be coming back before council during an October meeting.
